The Qatari government has quietly tightened the rules on how expats obtain driving licences, requiring some of them take lessons or a driving test, according to a report in Doha News.
Western expats are finding it harder to get a licence in Qatar since the new rules took effect last month, it said. In particular, UK, European and Australian residents must now take a driver’s test and/or driving lessons in order to get a licence.
Previously, they only had to show their licence from their country of origin and take a new eye test.
The changes were quietly introduced on January 1 but were not publicised, the newspaper said, quoting officials from several embassies in Qatar.
Qatar’s government services website Hukoomi states only that: “Motorists are required to hold a valid driving license [sic] in order to drive in Qatar. New visitor and tourists may use an international driving permit for up to six months, after which they are required to obtain a Qatari driving license.
“Some foreign driving licenses are recognised in Qatar, and can be converted into a valid Qatari driving license without any additional driving tests. First-time drivers should enroll in driving school ahead of time.
It added: “A vision test is mandatory for all applicants. This can be completed at the Ministry of Interior’s Traffic Department, or through a private hospital, clinic or licensed professional.”
It is not known why the changes were implemented.
Determined to make Qatar’s roads safer, the Traffic Department has introduced a number of changes to driving license system and are planning a few more. Here are 7 changes earlier that you need to know :
1. Unified driving curriculum
The Traffic Department has finalised a unified driving curriculum and it will be introduced in all driving schools.
- Prepared by experts in the road traffic field, the revised curriculum will address the shortcomings in the existing one.
- All driving schools have been asked to provide interpreters to explain the points mentioned in the new curriculum and the traffic law to learners who come from different countries.
2. Road test after passing theory test only
No trainee will be allowed to take a road test unless he passes the theory test based on information provided in the new curriculum.
3. You need to know the basics of automobiles
In addition to driving skills and traffic laws, the syllabus addresses issues such as how to check the safety of a vehicle, lights, engine, engine oil and the pressure of tyres.
4. No more short courses
With the short course abolished some five months ago, new learners have to take either the half or full course.
5. You need to do really well to pass the tests
Determined to make the country’s roads safer, the authorities had recently made it “difficult” to secure a driving licence. An instructor at a school said expats rarely pass the first time they take the theory portion of the test.
According to sources, out of an average 35 persons who take the test on any given day, only three to four will get the licence, which means almost 90% learners fail the test!
6. Getting test dates are not easy either
The test includes a theory part, parallel and pocket parking and the road test. Each of the tests is taken on different dates.
In several cases, learners who failed the driving test have to wait for more than two months before getting a schedule for their second try.
7. No more exceptions for Saudi, Kuwait license holders
The provision of granting a driving licence to those holding licences issued by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait has also been discontinued in Qatar. They are now required to enroll in driving schools and take the tests.
The new regulation has also affected expatriates who shifted to Qatar recently from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and were hoping to get a licence based on the ones they had in these two countries.
Getting a driver’s licence in Qatar hard nowadays
Securing a driver’s licence in Qatar has become very difficult for new learners, a source from a leading driving school in Doha.
Out of an average 35 persons who take the test on any given day, only three to four will get the licence. “That is a very low passing rate and many learners are really struggling,” the source explained.
With the short course abolished some five months ago, new learners have to take either the half or full course.
In another driving school, a supervisor told Gulf Times that out of the 20 new instructors they hired this year, only two had passed the driving test.
“Those who failed had to wait for another two to three months to appear for the test again,” he recalled.
However, during the past weeks, there was a slight improvement in the pass rate at this driving school, with an average of 13 out of 35 persons getting the licence.
The entire test include a theory part, identifying vehicle engine parts, parallel and pocket parking, and the road test. Each of the tests is taken on different dates.
An Asian expatriate and his colleague who failed the driving test waited for more than two months before getting a schedule for their second try.
“I was really nervous during the test, with a policeman sitting beside me. But waiting for two to three months is really too long,” he stressed.
The failure of many learners to get the driving licence has not affected the enrolment at driving schools, according to a source.
“The only problem is that a large number are waiting for the next schedule (of the test),” he said.
Despite the ban on some 162 categories of workers, a huge percentage of applicants are being accepted by driving schools.
The Traffic Department implemented the ban in May 2013, according to which labourers, butchers, hotel service workers, welders, cooks, gardeners, shoemakers, security guards and others in low-income jobs are ineligible to apply for the driving course.
“All driving schools have a list of eligible categories of workers and we check the designation mentioned on the Qatar ID cards of the applicants to confirm if they could enrol,” the source added.
